Driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol is a criminal offense in Irvine, California and throughout the US. It can be prosecuted as a misdemeanor or a felony charge, each of which carry certain penalties depending on the circumstances. Most DUI charges are misdemeanors if the driver didn’t cause damage to someone else or property while driving with drugs or alcohol in his or her system.
For a first offense, the penalties are jail time, fines, license suspension, and in some counties, installation of an interlock ignition device (IID) is required. He or she is required to spend 4 days-6 months in jail (depending on the circumstances of the case), must pay up to $1,000 in fines, his or her license will be suspended for 30 days up to 10 months, and depending on the county, he or she may need to have an interlock ignition device installed on their car. After the first offense, the penalties just get worse and worse. All those who are convicted of DUI a second time are required to have an IID installed in their car, and the jail times, fines, and license suspension periods dramatically increase with each conviction. You can read more about the specific DUI potential sentences here: http://dui.drivinglaws.org/california.php
You’re probably wondering what an interlock ignition device is. It’s similar to a breathalyzer. The difference is that it’s connected to the car’s dashboard or another location outside the car. Before starting your car, you are required to breathe into it. Inside the device, there’s a fuel cell that analyzes your blood alcohol level (usually .08% for adults ages 21+ and .01% for those under age 21). Often, when someone’s license is suspended because of DUI, after a certain amount of time under suspension has passed, the court will allow him or her to drive with a restricted drivers license so they can go to work, an alcohol treatment center, and other court-permitted places. Getting an IID device installed is actually pretty expensive—depending on where you live, it can cost up to $100, and then you’ll be charged between $50-100 per month to lease it. Have you seen those ads that say, “DUI—you can’t afford it”? Kinda makes sense once you find out the details of convicted sentences—even the lightest possible sentence is pretty harsh and really expensive.
Do you have more questions about being charged with DUI in Irvine, California? Call or message Dan Chambers at the Chambers Law Firm at 714-760-4088.
